Lucy's avoiding them?
by Chamadarnya
Summary: Well, Lucy made a bet with Erza and Gray she could hide from them all day, but Natsu's come along to help! Where will he take her? What will it lead to? Sorry for being bad at summaries!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! Thanks for stopping by! I do hope you enjoy this :D  
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**Well, on to the story!  
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**~~Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fairy Tail!~~  
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**~Natsu's POV~**

"Natsu!" a voice called from underneath a table near the pink-haired dragon slayer. I blinked, looking around for where the voice had came from.

"Lucy, where are you?" I asked, smelling her intoxicating vanilla scent fill the air, she was close-by, he knew that much.

"Natsu... I'm under the table, and would you not be so loud?" she responded, a hint of shyness filling her voice.

"Under the table? Why!" I laughed, trying to follow the request of not being too loud, but it was harder than it looked. I couldn't think of any reason as to why she'd be under the table.

"Just... come here! No questions asked, understand?" her commanding voice answered, not giving me much of a choice.

"Fine," I responded, jumping down from the stool I sat on. I looked under the table I guessed she was under and found myself face-to-face with Lucy.

I held my breath suddenly, as if it was important I didn't breath on her. I could feel my heart beating faster and I felt a warm sensation rush to my cheeks, but I couldn't figure out why. "_What in the world is this feeling? Weirdo Lucy, she must've cast a spell or something on me..._" I concluded in my mind, not daring to speak.

I backed up slightly, as reality sank in again and it hit me how close we were. "Lucy, what'd ya want?" I asked, deciding to increase my body temperature to match that of my face.

"Natsu! Don't make it hotter, it's really stuffy under this table!" she complained, still not giving me an idea as to why she was hiding. "Listen, you have to help me out here! I made a bet with Gray and Erza that I could avoid them all day long, and now they are searching for me everywhere, I just barely managed to avoid them!"

I nodded slowly, trying to figure out why she would make such a weird bet with the red-haired demon and ice-for-brains.

"Right now, Plue has somehow managed to lead them away from the guild, but I don't know how long that will last... Natsu, help me, please?" she asked me, pleading with her soft chocolate-brown eyes.

I couldn't refuse, the thought of telling her no made my stomach twist and left me with a weird feeling. _"She definitely put some kind of spell on me,"_ I thought to myself as I pulled her out from under the table.

**~Normal POV~**

Natsu pulled Lucy out from under the table carefully, making sure she didn't hit her head on the stool that he hadn't moved out of the way.

"So, where ya going to hide now?" Natsu asked, obviously relaxed as he put his hands behind his head.

"Well, Plue told me that they had already went to my house, so I wanna go there," she explained, as if she could understand the shaking spirit.

"Uh-huh," Natsu answered, unconvinced that this was the case. He let his eyes wander to Lucy's eyes and he noticed himself not able to pull his gaze away, and after what felt like forever, he yanked his gaze away from hers and focused on a small bug.

"Oh, you have any wise ideas?" Lucy responded coldly, doubt that the fire mage could actually think of anywhere in her voice.

"Hah! I do, thank you very much!" Natsu responded triumphantely, holding his fist slightly in higher in the air, he was basically shouting.

"SHUSH!" Lucy scolded, covering his mouth with her hand and pushing him out-of-view from the guild.

"Wskdf awons oowcy?" he mumbled, words being mixed together and unable to be understood.

"What?" she hissed, pulling her hand away from his mouth quickly when he gave it a light lick. "What was that for you jerk?"

"Jerk? You're weird, Lucy, you're the one who had your hand over my mouth, I had to get you to move it somehow!" he explained, his lack of brains becoming obvious to her. He had clearly missed the option of pulling her hand away with his hand.

**~Natsu's POV~  
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Lucy glared at me harshly as she cleaned her hand off from where I had licked her. I pretended like she had a sour taste to her as I acted like I felt sick by holding my hand over my mouth. _"Great, not only does she smell good, but she tastes good too,"_ I thought to myself, angry with myself for liking her taste and smell.

"Well, what were you trying to say earlier?" she asked, still angry from how I reacted to her covering my mouth.

"Oh, that! I was asking what was wrong!" I snickered, and added, "You're acting like the whole guild is on Erza and snow-cone's side."

"They are!" she answered harshly, glancing once or twice over her shoulder.

"That's not fair," I mumbled as I let my eyes wander around the guild.

"Huh?" Lucy asked, having not heard his remark.

"Eh! Nothing! Luce, let's go, I'll show you the best hiding spot in the world!" I pratically yelled, dragging her quickly by the wrist.

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**Well, thanks for reading! ^-^ This is my first attempt at any fanfic, I hope you liked it :D **

**I didn't really know what to rate this... so, I rated it T just in case, just to be safe, ya know?  
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	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you (GoldenRoseLuceTanya, Melyora, xxSixelaxx, Princess Happy, Alice Harkey, Helekiller2) for the wonderful reviews! :D I am glad you enjoyed the first chapter so much! I hope this one can follow suit with the last chapter.  
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**Previously:  
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_~Natsu's POV~  
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_Lucy glared at me harshly as she cleaned her hand off from where I had licked her. I pretended like she had a sour taste to her as I acted like I felt sick by holding my hand over my mouth. "Great, not only does she smell good, but she tastes good too," I thought to myself, angry with myself for liking her taste and smell._

_"Well, what were you trying to say earlier?" she asked, still angry from how I reacted to her covering my mouth._

_"Oh, that! I was asking what was wrong!" I snickered, and added, "You're acting like the whole guild is on Erza and snow-cone's side."_

_"They are!" she answered harshly, glancing once or twice over her shoulder._

_"That's not fair," I mumbled as I let my eyes wander around the guild._

_"Huh?" Lucy asked, having not heard his remark._

_"Eh! Nothing! Luce, let's go, I'll show you the best hiding spot in the world!" I practically yelled, dragging her quickly by the wrist._

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**~Normal POV~**

Natsu quickly began to drag Lucy out of the guild and began to act like a ninja on a top-secret mission. He had wrapped his scarf around his head and glanced left and right a million times before he would actually begin to drag her again.

Lucy sighed angrily, saying, "Natsu, I think we're lost."

He looked back only slightly, but didn't respond as he began to drag her even quicker. Lucy felt her heart begin to pound faster as she struggled to get free from his grip, but only to find he held on tighter.

After what felt like hours of walking, or being dragged in her case, they got to a house that seemed a bit isolated from everywhere else. A sign sat in front of the house, but it was covered up by a pile of leaves.

"Where are we?" Lucy asked, confusion filling her as he dragged her into the cramped, and very messy, house.

"I'll answer you when you tell me why you made that bet with ice-cube and Erza," he responded quickly, feeling heat rising slightly to his face.

"Uggh!" she responded, not giving more of answer than that. _"If I were to tell you why, it'd kill the point of the bet!" _she thought as she looked at her friend.

After a few seconds of Lucy begging Natsu to tell her where they were, she decided to just look around for herself. She quickly spotted all the things hanging on the wall, they were job requests and occasionally other momentum's of past missions.

She spotted the 'Salamander' signature that he'd tried to give her as payment for helping him. Next, Lucy spotted the maid outfit she wore on their first official mission together. With the request above it, and a note that said, "First mission I went on with Lucy!"

"Natsu... this is your house... isn't it?" she yelled, trying hard to make sure she didn't give away their position.

"Aww! You guessed! Darn it! Hmph.. well, they won't find ya here! I promise!" he promised as a wide grin appeared on his face.

**~Lucy's POV~**

I couldn't help but to let my mouth drop to the floor as he promised Erza and Gray wouldn't find me here.

"Why exactly would they not look here!" I screeched, letting my fists tighten as anger filled me.

Who did he think he was? Dragging me to his house like this, surely he didn't think Erza wouldn't come here, or someone else for that matter.

"Well... I know no one will look because no one knows exactly where I live!" he laughed and gave a goofy grin.

I shook my head, trying to clear it as I looked around at my surroundings again. If I wasn't careful, I might get swallowed by the piles of junk. _"Duely noted,"_ I thought as I made my way to his couch.

"No one? Not even Gray or Lissana?" I asked, quite shocked not even his closest of friends knew.

"Nope!" he chuckled and sat down on the other-side of the couch.

_"Happy!"_ I thought and let a gasp escape from my mouth.

"Luce? What's wrong?" he questioned, leaning slightly closer to me. His eyes held a glimmer of worry in them.

"Uhm... I just thought about Happy.. I mean, what if he was coming home and he decided to show Carla? If Carla were to follow him, that means Wendy would follow her! Leading to them to find me! She'd surely run back to the guild and tell everyone I was at Natsu and Happy's house! Oh no! Terror would surely fall on my life," I answered, and then started to go into my own world as I imagined the guilds reaction to me being here.

"So, you're worried that he might bring Wendy and Carla here?" he responded, scratching his head lightly in confusion.

I nodded my head violently, and let my thoughts wander back to how the guild would react, surely Mira would love it. Her matchmaking dream would come true, and while I didn't mind the idea too terrible much, Natsu was sure to hate it. _"Lucy! Get a hold of yourself!"_ I thought violently and slapped the side of my face.

Natsu broke my thoughts by saying, "I get it! Okay, well, if I smell Wendy, Carla, and Happy coming, I'll hide you!" He snickered lightly at the idea before adding, "Of course, I'd have to hide your scent, since Wendy could smell it too."

I tried to imagine where he would hide me, and all that came to mind was him shoving me in the countless piles of junk. That would surely cover my scent too, as huge as the piles were.

**~Normal POV at Happy~**

"Wendy! Carla! Hurry up, I'm sure she'll be here!" Happy snickered as he led his fellow exceed and the dragon slayer to his and Natsu's house.

"He-cat! We have no interest in receiving your help!" Carla scolded as she relaxed in Wendy's arms.

"Carla, don't be so mean, Happy is just trying to help us out, and I'm sure the rest of the guild members will be overjoyed when they find out we have found her," Wendy explained, trying to calm down her friend.

"Hmph," she muttered as she looked away from Happy and Wendy.

"Hehe," Wendy laughed nervously as she continued to run after Happy.

He glided quickly over their heads as he led the way. He could see the house in the distance, and saw lights on, which was rare for Natsu to do. _"Natsu had to have helped her out! She has to be here!" _he giggled as he thought about how to bust his friends.

"The house is in sight now!" Wendy happily said, she felt like they had been running for hours.

**~Normal POV at Natsu and Lucy~**

Natsu could smell Happy getting closer, his smell was still miles off, but he could smell it. He let himself focus on the smells in the air and quickly noticed the familiar scent of Wendy and Carla.

"Oh no," he whispered to himself, causing Lucy to glance over at him from the small spot she had cleaned on the floor.

"What?" she questioned, standing up and walking back to the couch using her path she'd created a few minutes before.

"Haha, nothing!" Natsu responded, rubbing his head nervously. _"Man, Lucy sure is weird! She predicted Happy bringing Carla and Wendy here!" _he thought and began to think of ways to cover her scent up.

Lucy continued to eye him while she sat down across from him once more. She sighed and rested her cheek on her palm. Her glances had been continuously looking at the wall of memories, as she called it, and looking over all the missions they'd done together.

"Say, Natsu... you said something about hiding my scent, right? How would you do that?" Lucy asked, glancing at the dragon slayer from the corner of her eye.

"Oh yeah, about that, haha, do you wanna know?" Natsu asked, pulling himself slightly closer to Lucy, causing her to back up in response to the sudden movement.

Lucy closed her eyes, not wanting to see, thinking it would shield her from whatever Natsu had planned. She felt a warm hand grab her wrist, and she squeaked in response, trying to wriggle her wrist free of his tight grasp.

Natsu pulled her up from her spot and dragged her out of the living room, much to the terror of Lucy, he threw her onto his bed. She heard a click and she shut her eyes tighter than they were before, and closed her ears to the outside world.

Natsu just stood at the door with a questioning look plastered on his face, what was Lucy doing? _"Definitely weird,"_ he thought as he saw her shut her eyes even more when he had let the door shut on it's own.

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**Well, that's all I'll write for now :D I hope you enjoyed reading it! Thank you for reading again =3**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone :D I didn't realize that last chapter was such a cliff-hanger, well, maybe this will satisfy you, probably not, but maybe :) Enjoy reading, and thank you for all the wonderful reviews again! :)**

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**Last time:**

"Say,_ Natsu... you said something about hiding my scent, right? How would you do that?" Lucy asked, glancing at the dragon slayer from the corner of her eye._

_"Oh yeah, about that, haha, do you wanna know?" Natsu asked, pulling himself slightly closer to Lucy, causing her to back up in response to the sudden movement._

_Lucy closed her eyes, not wanting to see, thinking it would shield her from whatever Natsu had planned. She felt a warm hand grab her wrist, and she squeaked in response, trying to wriggle her wrist free of his tight grasp._

_Natsu pulled her up from her spot and dragged her out of the living room, much to the terror of Lucy, he threw her onto his bed. She heard a click and she shut her eyes tighter than they were before, and closed her ears to the outside world._

_Natsu just stood at the door with a questioning look plastered on his face, what was Lucy doing? "Definitely weird," he thought as he saw her shut her eyes even more when he had let the door shut on it's own._

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**~Normal POV~**

Natsu could smell that Happy, Carla, and Wendy were no further than fifteen minutes away. Lucky for Lucy, Wendy was still young and her sense of smell wasn't as great as his was. She would be able to smell Lucy when they were probably about five minutes away, he guessed.

"Lucy, it's okay, the door shut itself," Natsu said, worried for his teammate.

She let one eye peek open, and then she opened both, letting out a sigh of relief as she sat up from her curled position. She shook her head and let her mind clear. _"I did not just freak out, I did not just freak out," _Lucy told herself as she looked at Natsu from across the room.

He walked closer, stepping slowly at first, but then he began to quicken his pace. Soon, he crashed on top of her, his high body heat warming her quickly, she hadn't realized how cold she was.

After relaxing a second because of his warmth, she noticed how close she was to him, and a deep blush rushed to her cheeks. Natsu raised an eyebrow at this, and she quickly tried to hide it by her hair.

"N-na-natsu, get off of me," Lucy stuttered, feeling the words getting caught in her throat.

"No," he replied simply, and he pulled her with him as he sat up.

"W-why not?" she asked, trying to calm herself down as he basically crushed her in his arms.

"Easy! Happy, Carla, and Wendy are coming here! You said you need to hide from the guild, right? Well, Wendy has a good nose, and she'll be able to smell you, so I'm covering your scent with mine! You'll blend right in!" Natsu explained with a smile plastered on his face.

Lucy let the information sink in, and soon, reality hit with it. Carla, Happy, and Wendy were coming. She attempted to slow her heart-rate back to normal, and hoped it would quiet from the loud thudding it made as Natsu held her against him. She squirmed a bit, but to no avail, she could not get out of his grip.

"Luce, stop squirming!" he told her, and shoved his face into her hair.

She blushed quickly at this action, and she felt his breath on her neck, it only made her squirm more. She desperately wanted out of the death grip he seemed to have on her, and she wanted to run and hide in a corner.

"Natsu! Stop it," she hissed, pushing her hands against his chest, trying to get away.

He laughed lightly, causing Lucy to pull harder to get away. After what felt like hours to Lucy, he finally let her go with a grin on his face. She looked away, trying to act mad at what he had done to her.

"Come on, your scent is almost covered! Luce, if you wouldn't have squirmed so much, I might have been able to cover it entirely with just that," Natsu said, a small pout on his face.

She giggled lightly at this, and he gave another confused look to her. Lucy waved it off with her hand, letting him remain confused. He shrugged and threw something in her face and walked out of the room.

She mumbled angrily to herself as she looked down to see what she was holding, and much to her horror, it was a pair of Natsu's clothes. It had a zipper on the shirt and the pants were exactly as he wore.

"He can't be serious, he actually wants me to change into this!" she angrily screeched as she looked at the clothes in her hands.

A voice outside the door said, "Hurry up! Luce, they're coming closer, soon enough, Wendy will be able to smell you!"

With a final huff of frustration, she quickly changed into the clothes, and found them to be quite comfortable. She stepped out of his room to find him sitting on the couch flipping through empty papers, making it look as if he was doing something. She scoffed lightly at the sight, and that drew his attention.

"Luce! That looks great on you, but I can still smell you slightly," Natsu said, standing up and making his way over to her.

Lucy tried to back up once more, but he caught her wrist and pulled her into his embrace. She felt warm once again, and the clothes she wore seemed to retain the heat as she felt herself get hotter than she was before.

He pushed his face once again into the side of her neck and played with her hair lightly. She stood there, letting him do as he pleased, not wanting to be found by the guild. After a few minutes of him hugging her, he let go and backed away a few steps, taking in a big breath.

"Nope! Lucy's smell is all gone, well, except for the clothes in the bedroom," he explained as he grabbed a few blankets from the floor.

Lucy forgot she had left her skirt and shirt laying on his floor and she quickly turned on her heel to grab them, but was stopped by his hand. He shook his head as he grinned and threw the blankets on top of her.

"Now, stay quietly under those blankets until I get you, okay?" Natsu asked as he laid the blanket mass called Lucy against a pile of pillows and blankets. He heard her muffled response and smiled as he left the room.

Lucy stayed still and noticed that she could see slightly out of the blanket if she looked just the right way. Natsu had run off with her skirt and shirt and put them in the forest, so when Wendy smelled her scent, she wouldn't think of Lucy being in his house.

He got back a few minutes before Happy and the rest arrived. Happy burst through the front door and did twirls in the air as he slammed his best friend backwards into the couch.

"Natsu! We're playing a fun game! It's called, 'Find Lucy', Gray and Erza said if I could find her before them than they'd give me a fish!" Happy cried happily as he flew through the air.

"Happy, you took a bribe from Erza and ice-brain?" Natsu asked, obviously shocked that his friend would do that.

"Aye!" Happy shouted as Carla and Wendy walked through the door, Wendy looking as if she would faint because she was trespassing.

"Don't worry Wendy, you're allowed to come in," Natsu said, noticing how uncomfortable Wendy looked.

She nodded lightly and gave a small smile as she made her way to Carla who was floating above a pile of trash with a disgusted look on her face.

"So, Natsu! Where's Lucy?" Happy asked quickly, floating all around their house in search of the blonde stellar mage.

Wendy remembered suddenly why Happy had brought them there and began to smell the air carefully, all she could smell was Natsu and Happy's scent throughout the house, not a single hint of Lucy at all.

"Happy?" Wendy pipped up quietly.

"Aye?" Happy asked, floating over to where Carla floated and Wendy stood.

"I don't smell her here, I don't think she's here," Wendy said, nearly quiet enough where Happy almost couldn't hear her response.

Carla shook her had and said, "Wendy, you need to get more confidence! However, don't let the he-cat's confidence rub off on you."

Wendy nodded quickly, not knowing how to gain the confidence that Carla desperately wanted her to have.

"So, what brings ya here?" Natsu asked casually as he caught Happy by the tail and dragged the flying cat down beside him on the couch.

Happy answered first, "Aye sir! I brought them here hoping that Lucy would be here! I didn't know you'd be home though!" He snickered as he said the last part and covered his mouth with his paws.

Natsu rolled his eyes at his furry friend and focused his attention back on Wendy and Carla, he couldn't let them stay too long or else Lucy might get too warm under the blankets and have to come out for air.

"Oh, so you're looking for Luce, huh? Well, I happened to see her running into the forest, and her scent should still be around," Natsu answered, giving the 'hint' that Happy was looking for.

"Aye!" he shouted in happiness, "Carla, Wendy! Let's go! We don't have a moment to waste! I want that fish from Erza and Gray!"

Wendy and Carla looked at each other and back at Natsu before the ran out of the house, following Happy on his wild-goose hunt. As soon as they were gone and well out of sight, Natsu stood up and locked the door. He then proceeded to close all the curtains, just as he would do if he were to go out somewhere.

"Okay, Luce, it's safe to come out," Natsu said, walking over to the lump of blankets.

He got no response and he began to get impatient as he waited for her to answer him. After waiting what felt like forever, he scooped the blanket mass known as Lucy into his arms and laid her on the couch. Natsu uncovered her carefully from her blankets and noticed she was asleep, no wonder she hadn't made a sound.

_"She looks so cute when she's sleeping,"_ Natsu thought with a smile, and then realized what he'd thought. He slapped his face lightly, thinking, _"No, Natsu, she is a friend, a best-friend only! Besides, you aren't supposed to think girls are cute, they are supposed to be annoying, right?"_

Her eyes fluttered open lightly, but were still half-shut, and she looked up at him sleepily saying, "Na-tsu..? Is that you? What time is it?"

He realized it must have gotten warm and put her to sleep, since she had mentioned the warmer it was the more likely she was to sleep. He ran into the kitchen and peeked out of the curtain and saw that darkness had already fallen.

"Lucy, it's already night time, sorry, I didn't realize that, I didn't mean to keep you here that long," he said as he rubbed the back of his head. Natsu was about to continue his small speech but realized that she was once again asleep.

He was about to carry her to her house, but figured they would have someone guarding it for when she came back home to go to sleep from her day of hiding out. Little known to him, he was right on not taking her back, for Erza stood guard outside her house.

"Okay, Luce, time for you to go to bed," he told her sleeping form.

Natsu covered her carefully with the blanket and had placed a pillow underneath her head. He looked at her for a little bit and leaned over her head lightly, letting his breath move her bangs out of the way. She moved a little bit in her sleep, but showed no signs of waking up.

He kissed her forehead good night, and whispered, "Night Luce."

"Na-tsu..," he heard her mumble and he turned around. She was still asleep, and he smiled happily, not knowing why he did.

When he laid down in his bed, his shut his eyes to go to sleep, but then they snapped open as he realized what he had just done. "I-I kissed her forehead!" he muffled himself with a pillow and felt a warm sensation rush to his cheeks. The feeling was warmer than his own body heat, and he couldn't figure out what it was.

He let himself drift into sleep, not bothering to unlock anything for Happy to come in whenever he returned. Natsu assumed he would spend the night with Carla and Wendy.

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**Well, there's chapter 3 for you :) I hope Natsu didn't seem too out-of-character .-. I tried to make sure he wasn't, but no guarantee's, huh?**

**Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it :D  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! I'm glad you enjoyed chapter 3 so much! :) Thank you for all the great reviews! I hope you like this chapter as much as you liked the last. Haha, this chapter seemed a lot longer then it is, enjoy! :D**

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**Last time:**

_He kissed her forehead good night, and whispered, "Night Luce."_

_"Na-tsu..," he heard her mumble and he turned around. She was still asleep, and he smiled happily, not knowing why he did._

_When he laid down in his bed, his shut his eyes to go to sleep, but then they snapped open as he realized what he had just done. "I-I kissed her forehead!" he muffled himself with a pillow and felt a warm sensation rush to his cheeks. The feeling was warmer than his own body heat, and he couldn't figure out what it was._

_He let himself drift into sleep, not bothering to unlock anything for Happy to come in whenever he returned. Natsu assumed he would spend the night with Carla and Wendy._

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**~Lucy's POV~**

I woke up in the middle of the night when I felt something warmer than the blanket wrap around my shoulders and legs. When I opened my eyes slightly, I noticed that Natsu had picked me up. He looked like he was half-asleep, so he probably wasn't going to remember doing this in the morning.

I wiggled around to get him to let me go, but it didn't work, it only made his grip tighten on me. Natsu carried me off quietly to his room and laid me down once more on his bed.

"Natsu?" I squeaked, hoping to catch the dragon slayer's attention in order to wake him up.

"Lu-cy..," he mumbled without opening his eyes, he was talking in his sleep.

His strong arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer to him, and I tried to get away, but he held me still. I squeaked once more when I felt him push his face into my hair.

"Na-natsu! You stupid dragon slayer, wake up!" I hissed, kicking him violently in an attempt to wake him up.

He didn't wake up even a bit, and instead caught my legs in his, pulling me even closer to him. I blushed madly and I struggled to even move a bit. Finally, after squirming for what felt like hours, I managed to turn to face him.

Natsu's hot breath tickled my face and I struggled to get further away. The more I struggled, I noticed the tighter his grip got. Soon, there was hardly any space between us, and he had rested his head on top of mine, causing me to blush even more.

**~Normal POV~**

After Lucy gave up on trying to get free from his grip, she accepted not having freedom and fell asleep in his warm grip, her muscles relaxing because of his warmth. The morning light shone lightly through the window and it made Natsu stir.

He yawned and felt something next to him, something that wasn't furry like Happy was. Natsu cast his glance down and noticed Lucy snuggled next to him, her legs caught in his and his arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

A quick blush came over his face as he said, "Lucy? Luce, wake up!"

Natsu let go of the blonde girl and began to shake her lightly, and after a few minutes, she opened her eyes slightly.

"Natsu?" Lucy asked, her eyes still slightly blurry from first waking up.

Her eyes widened as she realized how close they still were, and she quickly noticed the blush that had dusted itself across Natsu's face.

"Natsu! Wha-what are you doing!" she screamed, obviously flustered.

"I-I, uh.., you, er.. I mean," Natsu stuttered, scratching his face lightly with one finger and looking away, scared to look her in the eye.

"Natsu, look at me," Lucy commanded, grabbing his face with her hands and forcing him to look at her.

His face turned slightly more red as she did this, and she giggled out of amusement. She sat up, realizing that he had freed her from his grip.

"I... Um.. You? Wha-, no, why are you in my bed?" Natsu asked, confusion filling his face as he stuttered, trying to find the right words.

"Natsu... I knew you wouldn't remember," Lucy said quietly, slightly laughing at him. "Last night, you came and picked me up from the couch and carried me in here, I tried getting away! However, you didn't let me, and only held me tighter."

As Lucy explained what happened Natsu felt his face warm up even more and he quickly looked away, desperately trying to hide his hot face from her view. Then, a question hit him.

"Luce, you never told me yesterday. You told me no questions asked, but now it's a new day, so, what was the bet about?" Natsu asked, trying to forget what Lucy told him, what he wanted her to be lying about.

"The bet? Oh, the one I made with Gray and Erza?" Lucy asked, tapping her chin lightly with her finger.

Natsu nodded eagerly, wanting to know why she had to avoid snowman and Erza. _"I wonder if she still has to avoid them today,"_ he asked himself, thinking of ways to help if that were the case.

"Well, Erza and Gray told me that I'd have to do something if they found me. They also decided we would have a small means of communication, Warren would relay messages between us without revealing location," Lucy explained, making Natsu look at her confused.

Suddenly, a voice spoke in Natsu and Lucy's minds, as well as everyone else, _"Anyone find Lucy yet?"_

The voice belonged to Warren, and it was apparent that no one knew where she was.

A confident voice answered back, having to be Erza, _"No, I stayed at her house all last night waiting for her return, but she never showed up. Wendy, Carla, and Happy visited Natsu's place, but Wendy said that there wasn't a single trace of the girl there."_

_"Where could she be!"_ an annoyed voice sounded, Natsu recognized it immediately as Gray's.

_"Anyone have any clues?"_ Warren asked.

_"Oh, I do! Her scent is really strong in this forest, I must thank Natsu and Happy for their help! The forest is a bit far out, but I'm sure she's here, I slept well last night in a cave with Happy and Carla, and I'm all rested up! We're going to follow her scent and find her, I promise!"_ a young, but cute, voice answered, it belonged to Wendy.

_"Natsu, I know you can hear us too, but you've been quiet the whole time, what's wrong?"_ Erza asked him.

_"Huh? Oh! I was thinking of where that weirdo could be, I think I might go and help Wendy out, but I really don't care,"_ he answered, hiding the fear he felt inside from his voice, Erza really scared him.

_"Good idea! Lucy, I know you are listening, well, where ever you are! Let it be known that we are going to search for you today too! Don't forget the bet we made! If we find you before the day is up, you have to do it!" _Erza said, confidence clear in her voice, she was sure she was going to find Lucy.

_"Aye sir! I'm going to find her first! So I can get that fish!"_ Happy pipped up randomly.

_"Okay! I'm going to cut the connection for now, good luck everyone!"_ Warren said, and soon calmness was regained.

"Natsu," Lucy whispered, as if they were still listening, "I'm scared they might find me."

Suddenly, a knock came from Natsu's front door, and it made Lucy jump out of her skin. Natsu's eyes widened in terror as he quickly stood up and threw a few blankets over Lucy. He ran to the door and opened it to the person standing, who was giving him a death stare.

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**Well, thank you for reading again! :) I hope you enjoyed it! See you later with the next chapter! Maybe I'll finish it quickly like my others :D I don't like the idea of making people wait :P**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay! I took the review of getting it done by 10 as a challenge! Well, it just hit 10 o'clock here, and so I've finished this short chapter, I hope you enjoy reading it! It was fun to write, I think we are nearing the end folks :D Oh yes, and I can't forget to thank y'all for the wonderful reviews, they really do get me writing :)**

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**Last time:**_  
_

_"Good idea! Lucy, I know you are listening, well, where ever you are! Let it be known that we are going to search for you today too! Don't forget the bet we made! If we find you before the day is up, you have to do it!" Erza said, confidence clear in her voice, she was sure she was going to find Lucy._

_"Aye sir! I'm going to find her first! So I can get that fish!" Happy pipped up randomly._

_"Okay! I'm going to cut the connection for now, good luck everyone!" Warren said, and soon calmness was regained._

_"Natsu," Lucy whispered, as if they were still listening, "I'm scared they might find me."_

_Suddenly, a knock came from Natsu's front door, and it made Lucy jump out of her skin. Natsu's eyes widened in terror as he quickly stood up and threw a few blankets over Lucy. He ran to the door and opened it to the person standing, who was giving him a death stare._

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**~Natsu's POV~**

My eyes had to be tricking me, they had to be! I gulped as I stared at the person in front of me, it was none other than Titania, Erza Scarlet.

I laughed nervously and scratched my head as I asked, "S-so, what brings you here Erza?"

"May I come in, Natsu?" Erza asked, retaining her formal personality.

"S-sure," I mumbled just loud enough for her to hear as I stepped from in front of the door and let her walk in. _"Oh no, what does she want? Does she know Lucy is here? I need to get her out quick, besides, just her prescence scares me,"_ I thought as I shut the door behind her.

"You looked like you weren't home, since you have everything shut, and your door was even locked," Erza commented, looking around at the mess of a house.

"Oh, yeah, about that, it's cause I was just about to go out and find Wendy," I quickly lied, hoping she wouldn't catch on. I held my gaze with her, knowing if I broke it she would definitely know I was lying.

"Hm, okay... Well, I guess I'll just have to get Gajeel then," she responded, turning towards the door.

"Huh? What do you mean, Erza?" I asked, suddenly confused by her response.

"Hm? Oh, I was going to make you sniff Lucy out for me," she answered. Then, she added, "Oh yes, you should clean this mess up, it's not fit to live in, and definitely not fit for you have anyone over."

I nodded quickly and thought, _"What am I, a dog? Besides, how'd she find out where I live?"_ I was alarmed at the thought she had found my house, but brushed it off as she had just wandered here, unintentionally.

Erza walked out of the house with a wave and shut the door behind her, not offering a word of bye. Once I heard her get out of ear shot, I locked the door once more. I ran to the room that the Lucy bundle had been left in.

**~Lucy's POV~**

I heard footsteps getting closer, and I pushed myself further into the blanket, letting it stay loose around me.

"Luce, it's okay, it's just me," I heard a familiar voice say, and felt the heat his body let off getting closer.

_"He must've seen me push myself further into the blanket, I didn't realize movement was that noticeable,"_ I thought as I uncovered myself from the blanket.

When I finally pulled myself free from the blanket, I came face-to-face with Natsu, our faces were only a few centimeters apart. I felt my face flush red and noticed he had a slight blush on his cheeks too. I giggled lightly at the sight and thought, _"He's so adorable when he blushes. Wait... adorable! Since when did Natsu become adorable?"_

I shook my head lightly at my thoughts and Natsu raised an eyebrow in confusion, obviously not noticing how close we were.

"Luce? What's wrong?" Natsu asked me, standing up from his leaning position.

"Um, nothing!" I responded quickly and stood up, brushing his clothes off.

"Natsu, where are my clothes?" I asked quickly, realizing that I was still in his.

"Oh yeah! I took them deep into the forest! That way Wendy would follow your scent trail deep into the forest!" he answered with a smile on his face.

"Well, that's all fine and dandy, but wouldn't your scent be there too?" I countered, thinking of how good a dragon slayer's nose was.

His eyes widened when I said this, he probably hadn't thought that through. He scratched his head, deep in thought, and his eyes were wandering around the room.

**~Normal POV~**

"I got it!" Natsu announced suddenly, making Lucy jump from the sudden breaking of the silence that had enveloped the room.

"What?" Lucy asked.

"I'll just say I followed, but got bored! They'll surely believe that!" Natsu snickered as he stood up and grabbed Lucy's wrist.

"What are you doing?" Lucy asked as he began to drag her out of his house.

"Well, they'll probably start getting suspicious if I just stay there all day! I have to go somewhere, that way they think I'm looking for you," Natsu explained. Lucy was surprised he had given that much thought to it.

"I see," she mumbled, but began to wonder where he was taking her. "Where are you taking me?"

"Easy, your house! Erza probably figured that since you didn't come back last night, you wouldn't come back today either!" he answered happily, beginning to drag her even quicker.

"Natsu, how will you sneak me to my house without anyone seeing me and recognizing me?" Lucy asked him, wanting to know this.

"Well, since you are still in my clothes, just a glance at you wouldn't let anyone recognize you. Also, I don't plan on letting you run there, I'm much faster than you are Luce, I can get you there without anyone being able to see you," he responded confidently.

Just as Lucy was about to protest, he picked her up and began to run quickly, his breathing getting faster as he ran harder. After a few minutes, they arrived at her house, and sure enough, no one was guarding it.

"Amazing," Lucy whispered, surprised that Natsu's hunch had been correct.

"See?" he said, running to her door and putting her down.

She nodded in response and started to fumble through her keys to find her house key. Natsu stood right behind her, leaving hardly any room between them, making sure no one would see her if they walked past. This act made Lucy blush madly and caused her to fumble with her keys more than normal.

Lucy found the right key and unlocked the door quietly and stepped in, Natsu quickly following and shutting the door behind them.

"Oh, it feels good to be home," Lucy said as she ran to her couch and jumped on it.

Natsu laughed as he looked out her window, looking for any guild members who could have possibly seen them.

Little did he know they were being watched, from a distance, but still watched. The person smirked against the shadows and turned around, walking off with the information they just gained.

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**Alright! That's the end of this chapter! I hope you've enjoyed reading it :D Thank you for reading :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi everyone! I would've definitely gotten another chapter out yesterday, but I got tired and so I decided I'd take a break! Here's the next chapter y'all have been waiting for :) I hope you enjoy it! :D I tried adding in some fluff, but not so sure if it worked out the way I planned, haha :P Oh, and I can not forget to thank y'all for the wonderful reviews! I'm so glad y'all like this :D**

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**Last time:**

_She nodded in response and started to fumble through her keys to find her house key. Natsu stood right behind her, leaving hardly any room between them, making sure no one would see her if they walked past. This act made Lucy blush madly and caused her to fumble with her keys more than normal._

_Lucy found the right key and unlocked the door quietly and stepped in, Natsu quickly following and shutting the door behind them._

_"Oh, it feels good to be home," Lucy said as she ran to her couch and jumped on it._

_Natsu laughed as he looked out her window, looking for any guild members who could have possibly seen them._

_Little did he know they were being watched, from a distance, but still watched. The person smirked against the shadows and turned around, walking off with the information they just gained._

**~Lucy's POV~**

As I settled myself onto my couch comfortably, with Natsu playing look-out, I couldn't shake the feeling that we had been watched. I sighed lightly as I laid across my couch, taking up half of it. Natsu, after standing at my window for a good ten minutes, came and settled on the couch across from me.

He gave a goofy smile as he looked over and said, "I'm surprised the first thing you did was jump on your couch."

I gave him a puzzled look and realized that I was still in his clothes, I still smelled like him, and I hadn't taken a bath yet. I held my arm up to my nose and smelled. I didn't smell bad, in fact, the lingering smell of Natsu was on the clothes, smelled quite good to me.

_"I did not just figure that his smell wasn't bad!" _I thought with a small whine, not pleased with the fact I appeared to be falling for the dragon slayer.

"I'm going to go and take a shower, don't come in my room!" I yelled at Natsu as I ran to take a shower, wanting to get his smell off of me as quickly as possible.

He nodded simply and responded, "Fine, Luce."

Natsu didn't appear to be listening, and I highly doubted he'd follow my order to stay out of my room. I kept going though, and got to my shower. I turned the water on and let it heat up as I brushed my hair out. When I stepped in, the water was warm, just warm enough to feel relaxing without burning me.

After a long and soothing shower, I climbed out and wrapped a towel around myself. I went to my room and changed quickly, surprised that Natsu wasn't waiting on my bed he claimed was the best bed in the world.

Walking out of my room, I made my way to the living room to find it empty, and called, "Natsu?"

No response came to my ears and I began to get worried, when I ran to the door, I noticed it was unlocked and cracked open. The worse situations came to mind as I tried to figure out where my goofy dragon slayer friend went.

_"He hasn't been kidnapped, has he? How did they get him! He can smell so good, why didn't he smell them coming?"_ I thought rapidly as I ran throughout my house after shutting my door and locking it, baracading it with a chair so it'd be harder to force open.

I heard a small creak of a board behind me, and when I turned around, I saw a shadown move dangerously fast. The shadow pinned me down to the couch that I had been idiotically standing in front of. I opened my mouth to scream and yell for help, but the shadow covered my mouth with a strong hand.

When I smelled the hand, it was a familiar scent, and when the shadow moved in closer, I noticed that it was none other than my stupid friend, Natsu. He uncovered my mouth and moved from over me and began to laugh loudly, hitting his knee with his hand as his laughter rang through my house.

"Natsu!" I said, anger taking over all the worry I had.

"Yeah, Luce? Oh man, you should've seen your face! You were so worried!" he howled, stopping to laugh as he talked, "If you could smell as good as me, you'd know I was hiding in a corner."

"Natsu, it's not my fault that I don't have your sense of smell! I scolded, tears threatening to fall.

His laughter ceased when he looked over and noticed I was about to cry.

**~Natsu's POV~**

"Luce?" I asked quietly and in a hushed tone, as if speaking too loud would cause her to break.

She sniffled a bit, trying to hold back the tears that were already beginning to slide down the sides of her face. Tears did not grace her appearance, her smile did, not tears.

I didn't think that what I did had been so bad, I was just playing a joke, since I couldn't hide in her room. I scooted myself closer to Lucy as she shook from crying. I placed my hand under her eye and wiped a tear away.

"Luce, don't cry, I don't want you to cry," I said, my voice struggling to find the strength to make sound. "I'm sorry, Luce, just don't cry. I wouldn't let someone beat me so easily."

She looked up to me, her chocolate brown eyes meeting mine for a moment, before dropping. She had stopped her crying and was now just lightly sniffling, but it still pained me to see her that way, and I had caused it.

_"Dang it, why'd I have to do that?"_ I scolded myself, angry that I had been so childish.

I pulled myself over to her quickly, and pulled her into a tight hug, not wanting to let her go.

"Na-natsu?" she asked, and I felt her cheeks heat up from how close we were.

I pulled away slightly, just enough so I could see her eyes and rested my forehead on hers, her face turned an even brighter red.

"Yeah, Luce?" I asked, searching her eyes for the sadness that was there a few minutes ago.

"Uh, um.. w-what are y-you doing?" she stuttered, obviously nervous about how close we were.

"Lucy..," I said quietly, and noticed her eyes were no longer sad, it made me feel warm inside and at the same time my stomach turned over from happiness.

**~Lucy's POV~**

I was about to start to talk again, but I was interupted when Natsu suddenly crashed his lips against mine. I was shocked, and my eyes remained wide open for a few minutes, surprised at how soft his lips were.

Soon, I closed my eyes and felt him deepen the kiss, and I gladly accepted. We stayed that way for a few minutes before he pulled away, allowing me to breath once more. He didn't move too far away, as I could still feel his labored breath against me face.

"Natsu," I whispered, my voice breaking the silence that had taken over.

He smiled at me his goofy smile and pulled me to him once more. I couldn't help but to feel safe wrapped in his arms, his natural body heat radiating and warming me up. I still couldn't shake the feeling we were being watched though.

**~Normal POV, that person~**

"Hmph, it's just as I say, they entered her house, they're probably still there," the person said, recalling what they had watched a few hours before.

"Good, let's go then, we shall put our plan into action," a strong voice answered, looking surprised at the person who had helped out, amazed they did willingly.

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**Well, till next time! :) I wonder who that person is o: haha, maybe we'll find out next time :P I hope you enjoyed reading it, and thank you for reading! :D **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi again for the second time today! :) I'm glad y'all liked chapter 6, I didn't think the story would be this long :D I'm glad y'all are enjoying this :) Thank you for the reviews, and I'm glad I can keep everyone wondering what's going to happen and who they are, you'll find out this time though!  
**

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**Last time:**

_He smiled at me his goofy smile and pulled me to him once more. I couldn't help but to feel safe wrapped in his arms, his natural body heat radiating and warming me up. I still couldn't shake the feeling we were being watched though._

_~Normal POV, that person~_

_"Hmph, it's just as I say, they entered her house, they're probably still there," the person said, recalling what they had watched a few hours before._

_"Good, let's go then, we shall put our plan into action," a strong voice answered, looking surprised at the person who had helped out, amazed they did willingly._

* * *

**~Normal POV~**_  
_

"Gihehe," Gajeel laughed, following Erza out of the guild.

"They thought they could trick us, but who would've thought that Natsu would help Lucy out," Erza commented, walking calmly towards Lucy's house.

"You seem to know the way like the back of your hand," Gajeel joked, becoming slightly distracted by the boats on the river.

"I do, I visit Lucy quite often," Erza answered.

"Do you visit her by her inviting you over, or do you show up randomly like that ice-kid and flame-boy?" he responded quickly, his mind beginning to wander.

Erza stopped and responded, "I visit by surprise, but I'm welcomed, I am her close friend after-all."

Gajeel looked at her in surprise and thought, _"Oh, so bunny girl doesn't mind if you visit?" _

**~Normal POV, Lucy and Natsu~**

Natsu pulled back entirely, and smelled the air carefully, though Lucy's scent was the most prominent thing in the air, he could smell metal, metal, and more metal.

"Gajeel..," he snarled, imagining the iron dragon slayer walking up, "and Erza too."

"Gajeel and Erza?" Lucy asked, fear entering her eyes.

"Don't worry Luce, we'll get you out of here before they come, but Gajeel has a good sense of smell, he can probably already smell us here," Natsu answered, surprisingly thinking of someone else's abilities.

"How? If he can already smell us here, how will we get away without him noticing?" she asked, her voice shaking, she didn't want to be found.

"Don't worry, if I know metal-head, he is probably getting distracted.. besides, I just happen to know where a certain blue-haired script mage is," Natsu answered, confidence resounding in his whispering voice.

Lucy nodded lightly at this, and began to smile as she thought of Levy helping them out, but even she was trying to find Lucy, how would Natsu convince her to distract Gajeel? Suddenly, she felt warm arms wrap around her and pick her up gently, she faced Natsu with a smile playing on her lips.

"First things first, we need to make sure he can't smell you, and my clothes probably smell like your house slightly, since your scent is everywhere in here, but it's easily fixed, we just need to make sure he thinks that we're still here!" Natsu said, carrying her into her bedroom where she had left the clothes she had borrowed from him.

Setting Lucy down, he picked his clothes up and rubbed his hands against them rapidly, heating them up as if he were wearing them.

"Lucy, pull some of your clothes out and lay them on the floor, that way the scent will be strongest there," Natsu instructed, putting his own clothes on the floor.

Lucy nodded lightly and laid her clothes out, slightly in a pile so the scent would overlap, she was proud of her work.

"Okay," Natsu said suddenly, pulling her closer to him and hugging her tightly.

She automatically knew that he was covering her own scent with his, and she accepted without a fight this time. After standing there for a few seconds, Natsu pulled away and smiled.

"Right, now you can't smell Lucy at all, only Natsu," he said, referring to himself in the third-person.

She nodded and smiled, and began to wonder, _"How are we going to get out of my house?"_

"Alright!" Natsu spoke, seeming to answer her thoughts, "I know the ways to get out of this house better than anyone, and we don't have much time, I can smell them really easily, they are probably just down the street."

"Okay, so, how do we get out?" Lucy asked him, not wanting to find out by him leading her.

"Well, no time to explain! Come on!" he responded, grabbing her wrist gently, but enough to pull her, and ran to a small window that was hidden by a curtain in her bathroom.

"My bathroom?" she shrieked, surprised he knew about the window there.

"Shh! Gajeel will hear you!" he hissed, not wanting them to be found, he enjoyed Lucy's company without anyone else around.

_"Wait... a while ago, I kissed her? Agh! Lucy's weirdness has rubbed off on me!" _he yelled in his mind, but decided that it wasn't the time to figure out why he let her weirdness get to him.

He opened the window ever so slightly and jumped out, holding Lucy in his arms as he landed on a small patch of grass. He took off in a random direction, but managed to avoid being seen by Gajeel or Erza.

He continued to run until he was deep in the woods, and then remembered he was supposed to be finding Levy. Deciding he needed to hide Lucy first, he took her to a small cave he knew about and set her down there.

"Luce, stay here for a few minutes, I'm going to find Levy and tell her Gajeel wants her help finding you," Natsu told Lucy when she opened her mouth to question what they were doing.

She nodded in response and watched him take off, hoping that no one would find her while he was gone.

**~Normal POV, Erza and Gajeel~**

Erza grabbed the door handle and gave a strong turn to the door knob, only to find it was locked.

"Of course it'd be locked, she doesn't want to be found, hehe, too bad for her," Erza said, talking to no one in particular.

Gajeel stood back and watched, wondering how the scarlet-haired woman was going to open the door without a key. He didn't bother to mention he could probably make a key from the metal around, wanting to see her work.

"Alright, since it's looked, time for forced entry, I'll buy her a new door later," she said, stepping back and pulling her sword up.

Gajeel watched in utter shock, amazed that she would break the door down without thinking of his possible key-making abilities. A loud crash came and when he blinked again, the door was gone and Erza had gone inside. He stood wide-eyed for a second, amazed she actually did it.

He walked in the house, not sure if he should follow the woman or not. When he got inside, she was turned towards the door, obviously waiting for him so he could smell them out.

"I don't feel we have the time to search everywhere in this house for them, so use your nose and lead us to where the smell is the strongest," Erza commanded, not showing any sign of worry about ordering the iron dragon slayer around.

After mumbling his protests he began to smell the air slightly, and could smell Natsu and Lucy in the bedroom. When he opened the bunny-girls door, he found the piles of clothes they had left as a present. The scent of wildflowers was very strong in the path leading to what he assumed was the bathroom, maybe they were hiding there.

Erza and Gajeel basically flipped the house upside down searching for the Natsu and Lucy that were supposed to be hiding cleverly in there, but to no avail.

When suddenly, a small voice squeked out, "Hello?"

**~Natsu's POV~**

I ran quickly through the forest, running a different direction than we had come, that way if someone tracked me, they'd end up leaving the forest. After I ran for a good five minutes, I arrived at Fairy Hills, where Levy stayed with some of the other girls from the guild.

I knocked hard on the door, saying, "Levy? Levy! Come here, someone wants your help!"

After a few minutes of waiting, Levy came to the door, a questioning look on her face. I smiled down at her, letting her see no hint of the lie I was about to tell.

"Levy! Gajeel says he wants your help finding Lucy! He says he knows you'll think of a place where'd she be hiding, since you are her best friend," Natsu told her, making the lie more believable by saying he was going to put her knowledge to use.

"Okay! Lead me to where he is, I'll help him!" Levy answered excitedly.

I smirked and responded, "Great! Follow me!"

I charged off, making sure not to leave her behind, and led her to close to Lucy's house.

"Okay, Levy, he's in there, right now him and Erza are searching, maybe you can help, I'm going to go and search the bookshops around here, so don't worry about them, okay?" I told her, hoping I could make a few new hiding spots if I told her I'd check the area.

She nodded happily and ran towards Lucy's house, having only seen it once or twice herself, she had never stepped inside.

I smiled again and ran off to meet with Lucy again, not wanting to leave her alone for another second.

**~Levy's POV~**

"Hello?" I squeaked when I walked into her house, amazed at what looked like a scene of carnage before me.

Her house was a wreck, and I was sure that's not how it normally looked, she seemed like a very organized person.

"Lu-chan? Are you here?" I asked, taking another step into the house.

I was greeted by two pairs of eyes glaring at me from the other side of the room, I gulped, not sure what to expect as the two figures began to charge at me.

"Help me!" I screamed, turning to run, only to be stopped by hands pulling me backwards.

To my own surprise, even though Natsu told me they were here, I was greeted by Gajeel and Erza who stood calmly before me.

"Levy? What are you doing here?" Erza asked, confusion layering her voice.

"Uh, Natsu said that you two would want help, since I am Lu-chan's best friend," I responded nervously, having almost just mentioned that he only said Gajeel.

**~Normal POV~**

Erza and Gajeel looked over to each other and gave a small nod before looking at the small blue-haired girl.

"Okay, your knowledge will come in handy," Erza said, rubbing her on the head.

"Yeah, shrimp," Gajeel added, much to Levy's annoyance of being called shrimp.

The three of them then headed outside, thinking of new places to search with Levy at the head of the team.

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**Well, that's all for this chapter~ Thanks for reading :) I hope you liked it, I'll try to finish a third chapter by tonight! *sets goal* Tis my new goal :P**

**Thanks again! :D  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello again :) For the third time today! I hope you enjoy this chapter! I tried putting in a bit more fluff, I'm not that great at it, sorry :P Thank you for all the reviews! I can't believe I have 51 reviews up to now! It's wonderful and I'm so glad that you all like it! Here we go!  
**

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**Last time:**

_~Normal POV~_

_Erza and Gajeel looked over to each other and gave a small nod before looking at the small blue-haired girl._

_"Okay, your knowledge will come in handy," Erza said, rubbing her on the head._

_"Yeah, shrimp," Gajeel added, much to Levy's annoyance of being called shrimp._

_The three of them then headed outside, thinking of new places to search with Levy at the head of the team._

* * *

**~Normal POV, Lucy and Natsu~**

Lucy was half-asleep, getting tired from waiting for what felt like hours to her, but she heard a rustling in the bushes nearby and put herself on high alert.

Natsu popped out of the bushes and Lucy had just stood with keys in hand, but when she saw it was Natsu, she calmed down and let her hand put the keys back in place.

"Natsu! You scared me!" Lucy scolded, but let herself relax in his presence.

"Oh, sorry," he laughed, scratching the back of his head.

"So, did you get Levy and tell her that Gajeel wanted her help?" Lucy asked, a small smirk appearing.

Natsu nodded quickly, laughing as he said, "Yeah, she seemed pretty eager to help too!"

"That's because she likes him," Lucy explained, remembering how dense Natsu could be.

"I would hope she would like him," he responded.

"What? Really? Why!" Lucy asked, shocked.

"Because, we are all in the same guild! If she didn't like him, that'd be bad on teamwork if they had to work together," Natsu answered with a look that made it seem like what he said was obvious.

"No, Natsu, not like that," she stated, and continued with, "she really likes him, probably almost loves him! Friendship, it is a whole step past that."

He nodded as if he understood, but she knew he probably had no clue what she was talking about.

"Hmm... she likes him more than a friend? That's possible?" he questioned, scratching his head.

_"Oh, I should not be telling him this,"_ she thought. "Well, you see, when you like someone like that, you get butterflies in your stomach, and it will start to twist around whenever you see them! Sometimes, if they do something, it can even make them blush too," she explained, trying to think of ways to make him understand.

"Oh, I see! But, what's a blush?" he asked, confusion striking across his face.

"Uggh... Let's see, whenever you feel your face heat up, that is a blush. To someone else, it will appear as if they have suddenly gotten really red," Lucy said, wondering if she should say it could be a mini-sunburn.

He nodded his understanding though, and answered, "So, kinda like what your face does sometimes? You get that redness on your cheeks sometimes! Is that what it is? It looks kinda cu-". He stopped himself, thinking, _"Whoa, wait, did I almost say it looked kinda cute! AH! Lucy's weirdness has infected me even more! What do I do?"_

Lucy blinked and looked at him thoughtfully before deciding he wasn't going to finish, answering his question, she said, "Yes, Natsu, like how my face turns red sometimes."

As if on cue, her face began to heat up, and she felt herself blushing lightly, she decided to make an example of it, "Like this, Natsu."

"I see! So you can control it?" he asked, excitement in the undertone of his voice.

"No, you can't control it!" she yelled back at him, looking away quickly.

He nodded and smiled, not asking anything else, and suddenly, he got serious again. Natsu looked over his shoulder and ran over to Lucy quickly, standing in front of her. She was about to ask what he was doing, but he covered her mouth, signaling for her to stay quiet. When she nodded, he turned around and faced towards the small opening that was there.

The bushes near the opening began to move slightly, and a figure walked out of the bushes, chuckling lightly. Natsu didn't say a word, and kept Lucy blocked entirely with his body, not letting the person know she was there.

Natsu spoke first, "Hey, ice-for-brains! What are you doing here! Not trust me to look hard enough?"

Gray laughed the insult off and responded, "No, flame-brain, I came here looking for Lucy, I didn't expect to find you here though!"

Natsu frowned at his comment, and smelled the air lightly, it didn't smell like ice block, and he couldn't put his finger on who it did smell like. He watched as the supposed ice mage made his way closer to them, and it hit him who it was.

"Mira! What are you doing here? I thought you stayed in the guild and served drinks all day long," Natsu said, catching the take-over mage by surprise.

"Aww! You caught me, I should've known I couldn't trick your nose Natsu," she exclaimed, letting herself turn back to normal.

He smiled and asked, "Well, what are you doing out here?"

"Oh, a little birdie told me that they had seen Natsu and Lucy together running into the woods. So, I figured I'd take it upon myself to see if this was true or if they were just pulling my leg. I'm glad it's true," Mira responded, her hair blowing lightly in the wind.

"What! Who is this little birdie? Wait, how did you know Lucy was with me!" he responded, letting Lucy come out from behind him.

"I'm not going to let you know my little birdie, or else, it wouldn't be a secret anymore! And, I know because I saw her, you didn't hear or smell me as soon as you should've Natsu, my silly boy. I guess her scent is just too intoxicating for you to realize others quick enough," Mira giggled, waving her hand lightly in the air.

"Natsu, what does she mean?" Lucy asked, slightly alarmed that Mira had in fact snuck up close enough to them to see her before Natsu noticed anyone.

"Nothing, Luce, nothing! I just didn't smell her soon enough, this is my fault, I'm sorry," he apologized, as if he had done something wrong.

"Natsu, don't apologize, you didn't do anything," Lucy responded quickly, not wanting him to feel guilty.

"Don't worry yourselves over me finding you, I won't tell anyone," Mira said suddenly, her warm smile covering her face.

"Really? Thank you so much, Mira!" Lucy answered, running over to the take-over mage and giving her a tight hug.

"No need to thank me, just enjoying my favorite couple getting along," she responded, covering her mouth as she giggled the last part.

Lucy turned red automatically and made her way carefully back to Natsu, not taking her eyes off of Mirajane. Natsu pulled Lucy beside him when she got within arms reach, and he held her tightly, not letting her go until Mirajane disappeared into the shadows once more.

"What was that about?" he asked himself quietly.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Lucy admitted, pulling herself closer to Natsu subconsciously.

"Me too," he agreed.

They stood together like that for a while, before pulling apart when they realized there was no space between them. As soon as they did that, Lucy felt cold once more. She wanted to pull herself back over to her heat source, feeling the evening chill set in.

"Na-natsu?" she shivered, the cold air getting to her quickly.

"Yeah?" he asked, the air not affecting him at all.

"Ca-can I-I stay close to you?" she stuttered, feeling flustered and cold at the same time.

He smiled and pulled her over to him, not letting her get an inch away from him.

"Luce?" Natsu spoke, breaking the still air.

"Yeah?" she responded, turning to face him.

"I.. I feel like something is fluttering around in my stomach, but I haven't ate any of the butterflies you mentioned earlier, how'd they get there?" he asked innocently.

She laughed lightly, and answered, "Natsu, they are always there, it's just, usually, they stay asleep. Only when you are with the person that you really really like do they wake up and move around."

"I see...," he responded quietly, as if he was deep in thought.

Lucy looked up at him a little while longer and smiled lightly, a small blush brushing her cheeks. _"That dense dummy, he doesn't even realize he just confessed to me, does he?"_ she thought as she looked away to the the setting sun.

"Luce?" he said again.

"Yeah?" she answered, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

"Does.. does that mean that I really really like you?" he asked, looking down at her.

"I don't know, Natsu. You have to answer that yourself," she replied, giving him a side glance.

"Luce?" he repeated.

She looked over to him carefully, wondering what he was going to say now, her eyes met his and they locked in place. She felt like she couldn't move at all, even though she knew he wasn't holding her still.

He leaned slightly over her, and she followed his face, her eyes never leaving his.

When his face was only a few centimeters away from hers, he whispered, "Luce, I think I'm in love with you."

Before she had a chance to respond, he pushed his lips onto hers, ever so gently. She closed her eyes quickly this time, and kissed him back, enjoying the moment. Deepening the kiss, he pulled her closer to him, and felt her relax entirely in his arms.

When she licked his bottom lip, he gasped lightly and felt her tongue begin to wrestle against his. He didn't let his confusion distract him, he wanted to win the little contest she seemed to have with him. When he claimed his win by pushing her tongue back into her mouth, he separated from her and looked into her chocolate eyes.

"Natsu, I think I'm in love with you," she echoed his words he had said earlier, and smiled sincerely.

He smiled back in response, a different smile than she had ever seen, a very warm welcoming one. He grabbed her hand without saying a word and led her off, he had smelled Wendy approaching them, and hoped he didn't smell her too late.

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**Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it :D I think we are definitely coming to a close soon now *thinks she wrote that a few chapters back* this time for sure! Haha, y'all will soon learn what the bet was! :D Come again :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay! I think the next chapter will be the last chapter! I know this one is kinda short, but I wanted to end it on an even number :) I would like to thank you for all the wonderful reviews! Makes me want to just write and write :D Well, here's chapter 9 enjoy! :D**_  
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**Last time:  
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_"Natsu, I think I'm in love with you," she echoed his words he had said earlier, and smiled sincerely._

_He smiled back in response, a different smile than she had ever seen, a very warm welcoming one. He grabbed her hand without saying a word and led her off, he had smelled Wendy approaching them, and hoped he didn't smell her too late._

**~Normal POV, Wendy~**

"Carla, you were right! They're here!" Wendy exclaimed, watching Natsu drag Lucy off quickly.

"I told you, Wendy, you must trust my ability," Carla responded, flying a few feet above her head. "Plus, it appears as if the he-cat has some knowledge regarding his friend too. "

"Aye!" Happy yelled, flying forward to block of Natsu and Lucy.

"Hmph," Carla scoffed, but followed close behind.

Wendy smiled, watching after her friends and whispered to herself, "Carla is probably about as dense as Natsu when it comes to her loving Happy back."

"Carla, Happy! I'm going to go to the guild and tell them we found them! So, Happy! You'll get your fish, okay?" Wendy yelled, knowing they would be able to hear her.

"Aye!" Wendy heard Happy yell excitedly.

Wendy smiled and took off towards the guild, twitching in excitement as she ran.

"Oh, I can't wait for Lucy to lose the bet!" Wendy squealed happily, running as fast as her little legs could carry her.

After running for a few minutes, Wendy arrived at the guild, where she found Erza, Levy, and Gajeel sulking.

"What's wrong everyone?" she asked, walking over to where they were.

"Lucy's just too good staying away from us, we can't find her anywhere," Erza explained.

"Yeah, Lu-chan's better than I thought she would be," Levy complained, drawing small circles on the table with her finger.

Wendy then turned to Gajeel who said, "Bunny girl did good to hide her scent, I can't track her at all."

"Well, no need to worry!" Wendy said, hoping in a small circle.

"Why not?" a voice said from behind her, and she turned around to find Gray and Juvia.

"Juvia thinks we should give up and accept defeat, Juvia's love-rival is just too good," Juvia exclaimed, walking towards the young dragon slayer.

Gray nodded his agreement, taking a seat across from the defeated scarlet-haired woman.

"Everyone, there is still hope! I saw Natsu and Lucy running deeper into the forest! That means Natsu is on her side, but Happy and Carla went to block their path, if we hurry, we can find them!" Wendy yelled, already running towards the guild doors.

They all looked at each other in shock that the young dragon-slayer had already found them in the time they had been running around the town searching aimlessly. Together, they all ran out of the guild, letting Wendy lead the way back to where she had seen them.

**~Normal POV, Natsu and Lucy~**

Natsu was running without speaking, and after deciding that Lucy was running to slow, he began to carry her in his arms, not slowing down for a second.

"Natsu, where are we going? Why'd we start to run?" Lucy asked, confused about it all.

"Because, I smelled Wendy, I just hope I didn't smell her too late," he explained, not taking his eyes off of the trail they were running on.

Little did he know that two exceed's were following them in the sky, both using their full speed to get ahead of the fleeing Natsu. Looking at each other, they nodded and began to dive straight towards the pink-haired boy and blonde-headed girl.

Lucy looked up and saw the two cats diving towards them, but before she could yell for Natsu to watch out, they were already in front of them, blocking the path with their wings and bodies.

"Natsu! Lucy!" Carla began, holding her little arms out as much as she could to block the way.

"Lucy!" Happy began, and almost flew right into her, but was stopped by Carla's wing.

"Happy! Carla!" Lucy exclaimed, shocked they had found them.

"Move!" Natsu yelled, taking a single step forward.

"No!" Happy yelled defiantly, not moving an inch.

After a fierce stare down between the four of them for a few minutes, Lucy broke the silence, using her reasoning, "Wait, if Carla is with Happy, then that means Wendy must not be far behind."

"I don't know where Wendy went," Carla began, but was cut off by Natsu.

"Darn it! That means I didn't smell her soon enough, no!" he screamed, and charged at the two exceeds.

He was about to charge right into them, but a figure jumped in front, red-hair flying crazily. Erza looked up to face the two of them, a look of success in her eyes. On the other side, Natsu felt the air get cold, and he knew Gray was there. When he looked to his right, he saw Gajeel and Levy standing together, ready to attack if he was going to move.

Lucy looked behind them and spotted a small Wendy backed up by Macao and Romeo. When she looked to Natsu's left, she saw Gray and Juvia standing, ready to move.

"Natsu, we're surrounded," Lucy squeaked, scared of talking when surrounded like this.

When she blinked again, they all charged at them at once, not giving Natsu much chance to escape at all. He looked around, panicked for once in his life, and jumped up, hoping someone wouldn't block him off.

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**I hope you enjoyed reading this :) I look forward to posting the last chapter, I'll start working on it immediately! :D Thank you for reading, have a great day! :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry! ~ I posted Chapter 9 twice because when I labeled it as chapter 10, it put it in the second slot under my manager instead of at the bottom, and I accidentally posted it like that, forgive me? T-T  
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**Okay! :D Here's the last chapter! I feel so proud of myself for finishing my first fanfic :) All thanks to the wonderful reviews y'all guys gave me :D Enjoy!  
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**Last time:**

_"I don't know where Wendy went," Carla began, but was cut off by Natsu._

_"Darn it! That means I didn't smell her soon enough, no!" he screamed, and charged at the two exceeds._

_He was about to charge right into them, but a figure jumped in front, red-hair flying crazily. Erza looked up to face the two of them, a look of success in her eyes. On the other side, Natsu felt the air get cold, and he knew Gray was there. When he looked to his right, he saw Gajeel and Levy standing together, ready to attack if he was going to move._

_Lucy looked behind them and spotted a small Wendy backed up by Macao and Romeo. When she looked to Natsu's left, she saw Gray and Juvia standing, ready to move._

_"Natsu, we're surrounded," Lucy squeaked, scared of talking when surrounded like this._

_When she blinked again, they all charged at them at once, not giving Natsu much chance to escape at all. He looked around, panicked for once in his life, and jumped up, hoping someone wouldn't block him off._

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"Lucy, you lose, we found you," Erza said as she watched Natsu leap into the air.

Gray blocked them easily with his ice magic, creating a type of roof so they couldn't get out.

"If you want to get out, Natsu, you'll have to set Lucy down to break it, and you don't want to put her down, do you? Simply because that means we'll be able to grab her and you won't get her back," Wendy explained.

Natsu knew this was true, and he knew that any attempt to get away wouldn't work, but he didn't want them to force Lucy to do something, and the way it seemed, they were going to force her to do something.

"Natsu, it's okay, I've lost, I accept defeat," Lucy said, pulling herself up slightly to make Natsu set her down.

"But, Luce, they'll force you to do something," Natsu said, sadness tinting his voice and worry glinting in his eyes.

"It's okay, it won't be that bad," she explained, smiling up at him.

He didn't want to believe her, but he nodded and set her down, and watched as Erza and Gray rushed over, grabbing her arms so she couldn't escape. It pained Natsu to watch and know that he couldn't do anything, since she had already given up.

Carla and Happy floated up, Carla to Wendy and Happy to Natsu. He landed on his head and sighed relief, as if he had been chasing them for hours.

"Okay, let's get her back to the guild first," Erza said, picking Lucy up on one side, and almost lifted Gray with her.

Gray nodded as he picked what up her other arm, lifting her entirely off the ground. Lucy felt like a sacrificial animal, being carried away to it's death, but didn't fight, knowing that it would all be over with soon enough. Why had she made the stupid bet in the first place?

Natsu watched as Gajeel held him back, not letting him charge after her immediately. Once they were out of sight, he let Natsu go, and Natsu charged off after them.

"I wonder what Natsu thinks they'll have her do?" Levy wondered out-loud.

"Who knows, shrimp, maybe he thinks they're going to try to hurt her or something," Gajeel commented.

"Well, all Lucy has to do is confess to the one she likes, not that hard, right?" she asked, facing Gajeel now.

Gajeel looked down to Levy and responded, "I don't know, never confessed to anyone, besides, if she likes that flame-head, then it just might be hard. He seems like he's too dense to even know what love is. Besides, a dragon-slayer only loves one person, he may like a different person before, but he or she will only love one."

Levy nodded and answered, "I hope Lu-chan doesn't do anything she'll regret then."

**~Normal POV, the guild~**

Erza and Gray sat Lucy down at her normal seat, and ordered her something to eat from Mirajane, who walked over with a happy look on her face.

"Thanks, Mira," Lucy said, taking the small plate of food and eating it.

Mira nodded and looked to Erza, saying, "I guess you found her, oh well, I was having fun watching all of you get flustered trying to find her."

"Mirajane, does that mean you knew where she was?" Erza asked, slightly annoyed the answer was right under their noses.

"Oh, a little birdie might've told me and I went to check to see if it was right," she explained, cleaning the already clean glass in her hand.

Erza pounded her hand down to the bar, exclaiming, "That means that there was someone who knew where she was the whole time! Mirajane, tell me, just who is this little birdie!"

"Nope! That's for me to know, and for you not to find out," she calmly said, winking as she walked away from Erza.

"Elfman, it had to be him! He never took interest in this anyways! He was the double-agent the whole time!" Erza concluded, searching for Mira's younger brother.

"A man wouldn't do that!" Elfman shouted from across the guild, as if he heard Erza's comment.

She shook her head and decided he'd be too dumb to act as a double-agent. It didn't matter anymore though, they had found Lucy thanks to Wendy, and now they would get her to confess.

"Lucy, I'm sorry we have to force you to do this, but it is the only way," Erza said, putting her hand on the mages shoulder.

She smiled up at Titania, and answered, "It's fine, I knew if you caught me I'd have to do it."

Just then, a pink-haired boy charged through the doors, yelling, "Lucy! Are you okay? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"No, why would they hurt me?" she squeaked as Natsu picked her up and twirled her around, obviously happy she was still in one piece.

"I don't know, it just seemed like they would," he responded, setting her down.

"Okay! Do it now, Lucy!" Erza and Gray shouted from behind her, causing Natsu to look at them with confusion.

Lucy just smirked and grabbed Natsu's scarf, pulling him downwards, and said, "Natsu, I love you," before she kissed him quickly and let him go, much to Natsu's own confusion.

"What?" everyone in the guild yelled, all of them just as confused as Natsu was.

"Luce, I know that, and I already told you I love you too," he responded, causing the whole guild to become frozen in shock.

"Na-natsu! What's the meaning of this!" Erza exclaimed, still frozen in place.

"I already told Lucy that I loved her, and she already told me, why?" he asked, turning around to face them.

The whole guild wore shocked expressions, except for Mirajane who giggled to her heart's content. They couldn't make any sense out of it, their Natsu, the dense idiot, had already told Lucy he loved her?

Without saying another word, Natsu shrugged and grabbed Lucy up in his arms, and without looking back, shouted, "Well, I'm taking her away before you force her to do something she doesn't want to! Bye!"

The guild watched the two of them leave, and someone shouted, "Wait! Did that idiot even realize that she did what she was supposed to!"

Together, they all laughed and decided they'd later throw a party to celebrate the new couple, but would not mention Lucy went through with her bet.

At Lucy's house, Natsu and Lucy sat on the couch, together, watching the sun set on their adventurous day. She couldn't help but sigh in content as she snuggled closer to Natsu who in turn pulled her closer. The wonders of a bet had made her dream come true.

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**Well, that's the end of it :D I'm glad y'all guys enjoyed it :) Thank you for reading! Thank you for the reviews! :D Have a great rest of the day/night! **

**Thanks again! :)  
**

**Hm, guess I'll put a whole disclaimer for all the chapters here: I don't own any part of Fairy Tail, nor do I gain profit of any sort from it.  
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**Thank you~~  
**


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